Vespertine
by AnkouBlake
Summary: When 17 yr. old Edward Masen moves to Forks, Washington, he expects a droll small town life. All that changes when he meets the stunning Isabella Cullen. Full Summery inside. All canon pairings. Rated T.
1. Preface

**Title: **Vespertine

**Author: **AnkouBlake

**Pairings: **all canon

**Rating: **T

**Notes: **This story is what it might have been like had Edward been the human and Bella the vampire. I know this has probably been done to death but hopefully mine is different. We'll see some old friends and bring some that were in the shadows into the light. Some main characters may fade to honorable mentions. This is not Twilight with Edward and Bella flipping roles with seamless perfection. This is raw and new. If you don't think that you can deal with that, please stop reading here.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Twilight characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I use them for fun. No infringement is meant.

**Summery: **Seventeen-year-old Edward Masen's life is flipped upside down when his father dies of cancer. Now, he is forced to move from his Arizona home to the rainy little town of Forks, Washington where his estranged, unconventional mother resides. He was prepared for a boring, miserable existence in the small town but that all changes when he meets Isabella Cullen, his unnaturally beautiful lab partner and her strange family. Curiosity gives way to overwhelming attraction. Attraction turns to a strong, supernatural love that drags Edward into a dangerous and potentially deadly world where myths and legends are all too real.

**Preface:**

I'd never really given much thought into how I would die, though I'd had reason enough these past months. Even if I had, it definitely would not be like this. Though, I suppose I had a little more warning than most people got. I had been flirting with death for the past three months, after all. And I mean that quite literally.

Don't get me wrong, I could never regret any of the time that I had spent with her. She was the reason that I existed and it was in her stead that I stood here now. I would forfeit my life to see her and her family safe.

Across from me, the huntress growls, lowering herself into a predatory crouch. Her black eyes blaze with the power of her thirst. Her lithe muscles bunch, gathering for the spring.

**AN: **Here is the first chapter in the story! I hope you guys like it. I've decided to work on this one and Eternal Dusk concurrently. We'll see how that goes. Here is the play list for this fic:

01. Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me

02. Jim Sturgess - I've Just Seen A Face

03. Muse - Creep

04. Aqualung - Strange And Beautiful

05. Acceptance - Contagious

06. Muse - Supermassive Black Hole

07. Kill Hannah - Ten More Minutes

08. Secondhand Serenade - Take Me With You

09. Muse - Endlessly

10. Howie Day - Collide

11. The Used - I Caught Fire

12. Debussy - Claire de Lune

13. Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Follow You Into The Dark

14. Muse - Time Is Running Out

15. Placebo - Infa-Red

16. Lifehouse - Storm

17. Trading Yesterday - For You Only

18. Lamb - Gorecki


	2. Settled

**AN: **Thank you to darkHPfan411, ilvgonzaga, DanandSam4ever, Moe115, Amy Pau, moonfairie, RoGueSurfer, Edwella4eva, TopazObsessr94, kami23, Supernaturally Angelic, friscofilly and 4vr17Vi for the reviews, alerts and favorites. Onto chapter two...or chapter one, depending on your preference. Oh, the story is in **Edward's POV**.

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**1. Settled:**

Forks. Even its name promised infinite boredom. As I gazed out the window of the small plane, the only thing that greeted me was the steel gray of the constant cloud cover that was always present over this part of Washington state. I didn't mind it. The dreary weather reflected my current mood perfectly.

It was to Forks that I had been banished with the death of my father, Edward Masen Sr. The cancer that we had only so recently discovered had gone untreated for far to long and had finally, tragically, killed him. It had been a rough four months leading up to his death. I could do nothing but watch as my father grew frailer as the sickness ate away at him. It had almost been a relief, when he died. He didn't have to suffer any more.

However, unbeknownst to me, my father had been in communication with my estranged mother, Elizabeth. Together the two of them had conspired against me, setting up for this very moment. As the plane touched ground in the town of Port Angeles, I prepared myself to meet the woman who had given birth to me for the first time in twelve years.

My mother was easy to find in the milling crowd. She looked like me. Her eyes were the exact same shade of green and her hair was the same odd shade of bronze. She didn't need the pointless cardboard sign that had my name scrawled across it in large block letters which she was holding above her head as she scanned the crowd. She caught sight of me and lowered the sign. I took a deep breath and wandered over to her, trying my best not to trip over my feet. Of course, I failed. I stumbled toward her but caught my balance just before I face planted on the dirty, gum stained carpet. I straitened up, peeking at her through the curtain of my hair.

"Hello, Edward," she greeted me, her lips turned up in a smile and her eyes full of laughter, "It's good to see you. I'm sorry about your father."

"Yeah, me too," I mumbled, unable to keep my eyes off of her face, "It's good to see you too, Mom."

And then I was in her arms. I stiffened automatically, my arms rigid at my sides. I hadn't expected this. Slowly, hesitantly, I embraced her back. She squeezed me tightly once before she pulled away, running a pale, freckled hand under her damp eyes. Hmm, apparently through some genetic miracle I had skipped out on the freckles.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," she sighed, "For everything."

"Can we go, please?" I asked, ignoring her comment. I could feel the weight of the crowd pressing in around me and it was making me nervous.

"Of course," she nodded, "Sorry. Let's get you home."

As we climbed into her primer colored 1986 Ford Mustang, I realized that I needed my own car. The one I'd had in Scottsdale had met a tragic demise when it was struck by a light pole not even two weeks ago. I hadn't been paying much attention to the road and a coyote had run in front of me and I swerved to avoid it. Of course, because of my horrible luck, I hit one of the only light poles on the highway. My car was totaled and I had a lovely, nearly healed scar near my left temple.

"I got you a welcoming present," my mother announced as we found the highway.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Guess," she beamed, turning the windshield wipers on full blast.

"I couldn't possibly," I replied, squinting through my window to see nothing but dark green blurs outside.

It was so green out here. There were trees everywhere. The only colors I was used to seeing were varying shades of brown and the only vegetation was cactus. This was a sensory overload. My mother let off a sigh when she realized that I wasn't going to play twenty questions with her.

"I bought you a car," she said, her tone implying that she was proud of herself, "I heard about what happened with your other one so..."

"Er, thanks Mom, but you really didn't have to," I said, feeling my face flush.

I didn't like gifts. Seriously, I stopped having birthday parties when I was ten. Not that I had many friends to celebrate them with, anyway. I was always content to have a quiet dinner with Dad.

"I wanted to," she said, "It was the least I could do. Besides, I think you'll love it."

"What kind of car is it?" I asked, warily. The car we were in currently sounded like it was on the verge of a breakdown, "Please tell me it's in better condition than this old thing."

"Hey, Matilda gets me from point A to point B just fine," my mother countered.

She named her car? Who does that?

"Anyway, it's an older model," she continued, "It's an AMC Pacer. 19...75? I think."

"I have no idea what that is," I replied. Cars weren't my thing.

"You'll see," she smiled, "We're almost home anyway."

We rounded a corner and she eased the sputtering monster dubbed Matilda into a gravel driveway. The house was a small two-story with a tiny covered porch. There were two windows facing the street on the upper level. A large hemlock tree had a bough dangerously close to the larger of the two windows. The back of the house, as far as I could tell, backed up into the woods which seemed to stretch on for ages.

I got out of the car and pulled my windbreaker over my head to try and stay somewhat dry in the drizzle. My mother handed me the two suitcases that I had brought over with me on the plane and I followed her up the stone walkway that lead up to the front door. My mother dug around in her coat pocket and produced a key which she jammed into the lock, opening the door that lead to warmth and shelter from the rain.

"Did you see the car?" she asked as we walked into the living room.

"No, I wasn't looking," I confessed, "I was too focused on getting inside."

"That's okay," she smiled, "Take a gander out the window. Its parked on the street."

And then she disappeared into the kitchen/dinning room which was only visible through an arch in the wall. I stood on the wood floor, dripping water all over the place, my luggage propped up against the wall by the stairs in front of me. I felt horribly awkward in this unfamiliar place, like a stranger. Maybe that's because I was a stranger. I hadn't seen my mother since I was five when she'd left me and my Dad to work on her paintings.

Her head appeared around the corner of the kitchen, "Edward, what are you doing?"

"Um, I don't know," I replied sheepishly.

"Oh," my mother called suddenly, making me jump, "Duh. I haven't shown you your room, have I?"

I shook my head, my wet hair sticking to my face. I grimaced and raked my hand through it, trying to get it out of my face. My mother appeared by my side, one of my bags already in hand. I followed her up the stairs and nearly ran into her when she made a sharp right.

"The bathroom was the first door we passed," she explained as she set my luggage against a wall, "Unfortunately, there's only one bathroom, so I hope you don't mind sharing."

"I'm good," I replied, "I get the room with the tree, huh?"

"The tree?" she asked and then followed my gaze toward the huge green obstruction in the window, "Oh, yeah. This used to be my little studio. I moved all of my work down to my store."

"You have a store?" I asked as I set my baggage on the queen sized bed directly across from me.

"Yep," she beamed, "It's down in Port Angeles. I sell art supplies as well as my original work. I actually make a steady living off that place. I guess when it rains all the time the only thing people can do is get creative. Anyway, I'll let you settle in. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

And with that, she disappeared behind the closed door. I stood just inside the threshold, taking in my new inner sanctum. It was a little smaller than I was used to but I could live with it. The walls were a standard beige but closer inspection yielded spatters of different colored paint in odd places. A turpentine and wax stained desk was pushed up against the wall by the door. There was a computer settled on top of it, a phone line clearly visible behind the straight back chair in front of it.

There was an empty bookcase by the closet. Good. I needed all of the space I could get. I had a rather large collection of music and books that I needed to organize. I took in the rest of the room. There seemed to be just enough space to add another small storage unit and maybe some shelves, too. Hmm, something seemed to be missing. Oh, right. All of my stuff from my house in Arizona. Where did she put those boxes?

I heaved a heavy sigh and trudged down the stairs. My mother was humming away in the kitchen, the scent of baking chicken wafting in the air. I peeked around the corner to see her cheerfully ripping apart a head of lettuce for a salad.

"Um, Mom," I called softly.

"Yes, hun?" She replied, not even glancing at me.

"Where's all my stuff?" I asked.

"I piled all of the boxes into the closet," she said, moving to chop up some red bell peppers.

"Oh, thanks," I replied, "Smells good, by the way."

I hustled back into my room and pulled open the closet door and was nearly buried by a tidal wave of boxes. I back pedaled quickly and tripped. Fortunately I ended up falling back onto the bed. Boxes clattered to the wood floor with less than flattering thuds. I stared at the empty closet with wide eyes as thunderous footsteps echoed in the hall. My mother came to a skidding stop in the door, which I had left open.

"Edward, are you alright?" she gaped, picking her way over the fallen boxes carefully as she tried to get to me.

"I'm fine," I assured her, "Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you piled them in there."

"I'm sorry," she cried, "I didn't know they'd do that!"

"They probably wouldn't have if anyone else had opened the door," I said, getting to my feet and grabbing the nearest box, "It's just my luck."

She chuckled, "I remember."

I looked at her then. She was looking at me, a wistful smile on her face. She reached for me almost idly, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"You used to be such an accident prone child," she said, that affectionate smile still on her lips.

"Well, that hasn't changed," I mumbled, turning bright red.

She smiled again, "Do you want some help with this mess?"

"No, I got it," I replied.

"Okay," she said, getting to her feet, "I promise that there should be no more safety hazards lying around."

"I'm sure I'll find it if there is," I replied.

"I'm happy you're here, Edward," she said softly, "Really. I only wish that it weren't under such tragic circumstances."

Before I could even begin to think of a reply to that, she was gone. I stared at the empty doorway where she had been standing with confusion in my mind. She acted like she loved me. What was more, she sounded truly regretful about my father, the man to whom she was still technically married. Well, I guess she was his widow, now. If she had truly loved us, then why did she leave? I shoved those depressing thoughts into the back of my mind. It didn't matter anyway. I was here now. Time to grin and bear it.

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**AN:** Well, folks, what do you think of the first chapter, eh? Kind of depressing, huh? Don't ask me why it is. That's just what Edward Masen showed me. Stay tuned for the next.


	3. First Sight

**AN: **Thank you to RoGueSurfer, mjgirliegurl, Frozen Warmth, Sesshomaru's-number-1-girl, Goldeneyedvamp, beckayyboo, VolturiGirl, Judiri, cheesepuff311, kaykay123, TwilightXAngel, Carlalalita, Supernaturally Angelic, Ansleyrocks, LorilieDorran, It-Ended-At-3, LSinclair, moonfairie, 4vr17Vi and LennyT for all of the reviews, alerts and favorites. For those of you who were wondering, vespertine means of, pertaining to, or occurring in the evening. It is a synonym for twilight :)

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**2. First Sight:**

I woke to gray light hitting me directly in the eyes. I peered at the bedside table to see the glowing red numbers of my alarm clock announcing the ungodly hour. It was only six-thirty. Arg! I didn't have to be to school until eight-fifteen and I only lived two minutes away. I rolled over in bed and jammed the pillow over my head. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night thanks to the constant downpour. Honestly, it sounded like the house was built under a waterfall.

I closed my eyes for about a second, or at least that's what it felt like, when my alarm buzzed to life. The sudden sound made me jump. I rolled over and groped for the snooze button. I ended up knocking the clock onto the floor and had to reach for it to make it shut the hell up. Once the noise stopped I lay back in bed with a heavy sigh. I did not want to go to school. I really didn't. There were only about three-hundred kids at that school and I would stick out like a sore thumb. The new kid. Perfect.

I wandered over to the closet, (now devoid of deadly boxes), and pulled whatever I could find off the hangers. I wasn't too concerned about my appearance since I wasn't planning on trying to impress anyone. I raked my hand through my hair and pronounced myself dressed and ready. Awesome. I snatched my messenger bag off the desk and lumbered toward the door.

Once downstairs, I wandered into the kitchen to forage for something that looked like breakfast. There was a note for me taped to the refrigerator door. My mother sure was an early riser. She had already headed down to her store. The note said something about the key to my car being on the table by the front door and that there was a house key hidden under the welcome mat. The last piece of info didn't seem too smart, to leave a key laying outside in a very obvious hiding place. Of course, I'm sure that nothing dangerous ever happened in Forks.

I found some granola bars in the pantry and snagged a few, jamming some in my bag for later consumption. After a quick swig of orange juice, I walked into the living room to grab my coat and my car key. I pulled the parka on and opened the door, taking the first step toward what promised to be one of the worst days of my life. Oh. My. God. What was _that_?

I felt my jaw unhinge as I took in the thing sitting in the driveway. Did she really expect me to drive _this_? It didn't even look safe. It was absolutely hideous. And it was mustard yellow! Alright, take a breather, Edward. It's the thought that counts, right? Ri-ight. It's a good thing that I'd already decided that I wouldn't care about what anyone here thought of me. I only had to live with these people for a year and a half before I could escape via college. I could hold out for that long.

And it was with that thought in mind that I crossed the path and opened the unlocked drivers side door of my new car. I didn't even care that the door had been unlocked. Who would want to steal this monstrosity, anyway? I closed the door and put the key in the ignition. I wasn't sure what I expected but it certainly wasn't the smooth start up that I received. Maybe this car wasn't so bad after all. Even the radio worked.

I eased out of the driveway and onto the street. I blinked and I was at the school. The short drive had been a pleasant surprise. The car drove smooth. Alright, so my first impression of the car might have been a wee bit preconceived by my determination to hate it here. Actually, I kind of liked the car now that I had driven it, even if it was like driving in an upside-down fish bowl.

I pulled into a spot in front of the first building I saw, which just happened to house the office. This school was made of tiny brick buildings that looked more like houses than anything else. Like everything else here, the school was entirely surrounded by plants. Only as I exited the car could I tell that the school was small. That was a nice fact because it meant that I'd have less of a chance of getting hopelessly lost today. I wandered into the office and the woman behind the partition smiled up at me.

"Can I help you?" She asked me, adjusting the glasses on her plump face.

"I'm Edward Masen," I announced, "I've come to get my schedule."

"Of course," her smile widened and then faded around the edges, "I'm sorry about your father."

I blinked down at her, my brow furrowing.

"We grew up together," she explained as I continued to stare at her.

"Oh," was all that I could think to say.

She handed me my schedule, a map of the school and a slip that I had to have my teachers sign and then return later. As soon as she was done explaining the slip to me I made a hasty retreat. Fantastic. I had forgotten that my parents had lived here back in the day. This was definitely going to be difficult if I got sympathy heaped on me all day long. I sighed as I made my way back to my car. Other kids were starting to show up and I needed to move my car. I followed the line of traffic and pulled in next to a really shiny, expensive piece of foreign engineering. Looks like there were some rich kids here at this school because there was another glossy vehicle parked next to the other one.

I pulled my schedule back up toward my face to look at my first class. English in building one. I cross referenced with my map before stuffing both sheets of paper unceremoniously into my bag. I climbed out of the car and made a hasty retreat for one of the awnings as the sky opened up and poured down rain. I wandered around the sidewalks, looking for building one. The numbers were painted on the sides of the buildings so it really shouldn't have been as difficult as it was. Apparently, I looked as lost as I felt because one of the girls walking beside me tapped me on the shoulder.

"You're new, right?" she asked in a chipper voice, "I'm Jessica Stanley."

"Edward Masen," I replied.

"Do you need help finding your first class?" She asked.

"Am I that obvious?" I asked.

She giggled in that annoying way that most girls did, like they thought that boys would think it was cute. Listening to that single sound made me feel more at home, though. It reminded me of the girls back in Arizona, though she didn't look like one of them. Jessica Stanley was short, pale, and pretty in a standard sort of way. She wasn't a stand out beauty but she was definitely easy on the eyes. Her hair, which was extremely curly, was a little too big for my taste. She held her hand out to me and I stared at it, not entirely sure what she wanted me to do with it.

"Your classes," she smiled, blue eyes sparkling.

"Oh," I said, rummaging around for the crumpled paper.

I handed it to her and she looked it over as she started walking again. I followed after her, feeling really stupid. She handed the schedule back to me and beamed in a delighted way.

"Well, Edward, I think you've got yourself a tour guide for the day," she said, flipping a stray lock of curls behind her shoulder, "We have, like, all of the same classes."

"Great," I said, the word coming out a little less friendly than I would have liked.

If Jessica had caught my tone, she ignored it. Instead, she looped her arm through mine and practically dragged me toward one of the identical buildings. I peered down at her through the curtain of my hair. God but she was forward. She kept up a stream of chatter that I mostly ignored, only paying enough attention to nod at the right places and offer a response if it were necessary.

We entered the tiny classroom and she finally released me. I took my slip up to the balding teacher. He signed it without comment and sent me to an empty desk that was unfortunately positioned next to Jessica's. As soon as I sat down she continued with her one sided conversation as if there had never been a pause. I groaned internally as I lay my head on my desk, trying to ignore the girl beside me. I was mercifully spared by the bell ringing, signalling that class had begun. Jessica shut up as the teacher began prattling on about the lesson plan. I eyed the reading list that the teacher had given to me. We were going to be reading a host of novels and plays that I had already read before. This class would be a breeze for me. I think I even had a folder full of old essays somewhere in my room.

The rest of the morning passed by in a repeat of the first period. I had to put up with Jessica for three whole classes before I was sparred by the appearance of a boy whom she had an obvious crush on. His name was Mike Newton and he was from California originally. He was an All-American boy, blond, blue-eyed and looked like someone who should have been the star quarterback on the football team. Mr. Personality, that one. Nevertheless, I was ridiculously thankful for his appearance because Jessica turned her full attention on him and I had a moment of quite in History.

At lunch I ended up sitting with Mike and Jessica and their friends only because they were the only people that I had met and I didn't want to look like a complete loser and sit by myself. The other students stared at me openly and I tried my best not to feel self-conscious about it. There was one shy girl by the name of Angela Weber. I liked her. She wasn't loud like Jessica was. Eric Yorkie was an unfortunate looking boy with greasy hair, bad skin and a bit gangly. And then there was Lauren Mallory. She came off a little harsh. She sat at the table as though she felt that she were entitled to something, like she had earned the right to be a snob but I couldn't see any evidence to support her attitude. Needless to say, I completely ignored her.

Jessica was prattling away again and I took the opportunity to let my attention wander. My eyes made a full scan of the cafeteria. And that's when I say them. There was a group of five kids sitting in the farthest reaches of the room. Of the two boys at the table, one was enormous. He must have been the size of a pro wrestler and had a mass of black curls on his head. The other guy was slighter, built more like a runner or a swimmer, with honey colored hair.

One of the three girls was tall, blond and could have easily modeled for Victoria's Secret. There was also a tiny, thin, pixie looking girl with short, black, spiky hair. The last girl at the table was absolutely breathtaking. Though the others had all been gorgeous, like models, they had nothing on her. She was small, slender but soft somehow and fragile looking. Her hair was a rich mahogany with a slight wave to it which fell to her mid-back.

"Hello, Edward," Jessica's snapping fingers in my face brought me back to reality.

Or maybe not because the gorgeous quintuplet was still there.

"Who are they?" I asked, jutting my chin in their direction.

Jessica followed my gaze and giggled, "That's Alice, Emmett and Isabella Cullen and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They're all the adoptive kids of Dr. Cullen and his wife and they all live together."

The big dude leaned down and kissed the blond and I made a face. Jessica had been watching them too and giggled again.

"They're not related, right?" I asked. I knew Forks was a small town, but really?

"Rosalie and Jasper are, they're the blonds and twins," Jessica giggled again but her tone became more hushed, more secretive, "Rosalie is dating Emmett, who is the big guy and Alice, the little one with the black hair, is with Jasper."

"Who's the other girl with?" I asked.

"Isabella isn't seeing anyone," it was Mike who answered me, "But I wouldn't bother trying. Emmett and Jasper keep a pretty good eye on her."

I smirked a little. I wonder when he had tried to make his move and just what Emmett Cullen and Jasper Hale had done to make him drop his pursuit.

I appraised the strange family again. They looked nothing alike but there was something strangely similar in each of them. They all had the exact same shade of pale skin, paler even than my own. Their skin was almost translucent in its lack of color. They also had the exact same onyx eye color and bruise like shadows under their eyes, as if they hadn't slept in weeks. As I watched the strange family, the girl named Isabella looked up. Our eyes met and I hastily looked down at the table, embarrassed to be caught staring.

"Have they always lived here?" I asked, Jessica's tone during her little lesson suggested that they had been the topic of gossip before.

"No," she shook her head, "They moved here two years ago from somewhere in Alaska."

Oh, good. So at least I wasn't the only outsider in the community. I chanced another glance at the table, hoping that I wouldn't be caught again. I flicked my eyes in their direction, looking slightly above their heads, as if I were looking at something else rather at them, just in case any of them were looking in my direction. I was glad I had because Isabella was staring me down, her full mouth turned down in a frown and a small crease between her perfect eyebrows. I shifted my head and stared at the wall while keeping them within sight. Isabella's head moved, like a nod, almost as if she were answering a question even though no one at the table had spoken.

At that exact moment, they all stood up and carried their untouched food to the trash can. Their movements were smooth and graceful, even the big dude. It was unnerving, the way they moved with weightless grace. Isabella didn't look at me again as they all exited the cafeteria. I stayed at the table for a little longer than I normal would have had I been sitting alone but I was getting anxious to leave. I didn't want to be late to any of my classes on the first day.

Jessica, Mike and Angela got up and I followed them. We all had Biology II next hour so I figured I'd go with them and save myself the embarrassment of getting lost again.

When we entered the classroom, my fellows split off to go sit with their pre-established lab partners. I stood at the door, nervous. All of the tables were filled but one. Right in the dead center of the classroom, I recognized Isabella Cullen by the sheet of mahogany hair that fell down her back, sitting next to the only open seat.

As I walked down the aisle to get my slip signed by the teacher, I watched her from the corner of my eye. As I passed, she went rigid in her seat, her already perfect posture turning ramrod straight. She turned her startling face toward me, meeting my eyes with a fierce, furious expression. I looked away, stunned by her unexplained hostility and was so staggered by her face that I tripped over a book bag that was propped up against the table. I stumbled forward and had to catch my balance on the edge of a table, my momentum sending me into the innocent boy who sat at the table. I righted myself, going red in the face as I apologized profusely to the glaring boy while I completed the journey to the teacher.

Mr. Banner signed my slip and handed me the text book that I needed. He sent me to the only seat available and I took a deep breath as I picked my way back toward Isabella Cullen. I ran my hand through my hair nervously as I took a seat beside her, keeping my eyes on the desk. She leaned away from me as I sat down, like I was something unclean that she didn't want to be near. I haunched in on myself and opened my notebook, letting my nearly chin length hair fall around my face, effectively hiding me from her sight.

Sadly, the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I already knew from my last school. I focused on my notebook, taking notes and doodling to pass the time.

Every now and then, I would steal glances at my lab partner through my hair. She still hadn't relaxed her position on the edge of the chair. I could see her thin hand clenched into a tight fist on her leg under the table. Throughout the entire class, she never relaxed. In fact, she sat so still, it looked as though she wasn't even breathing. What the hell was wrong with her? What had I done that had offended her so badly? I'd never even spoken to her before.

I risked another glance at her and instantly regretted it. She was glaring up at me, her black, black eyes full of hatred and fire. I flinched away from her and glued my eyes to my notes. Talk about death glares. The bell rang then, making me jump and Isabella Cullen was gone. She just got up in that liquid grace of hers and glided through the door at an alarming speed. None of the other kids were even out of their seats as she slipped out. I blinked after her, horribly confused.

I was left staring at Mike and Jessica as I continued to sit in my seat, stunned. I got up silently and followed them out of the room. Jessica left Mike and I as she went to her last class. There was a short silence before Mike broke it on the way to Gym.

"So, what did you do to Isabella," he asked, "I've never seen her act that way around anyone."

"I don't even know," I replied, shocked that I had elicited an apparently unusual behaviour out of her.

"She looked like she was in pain or something," Mike said.

I shrugged, "Maybe it's her time of the month of something."

"Maybe," Mike smirked a little at my quip, "Anyway, we're playing volleyball this week. You can be on my team."

"Er," I stuttered, "I really don't think you want that, man. I'm not sports inclined."

"Well, you can be on the other team then," Mike laughed, "Help my teams odds."

I chuckled with him as we walked into the locker room. I headed for the small office and found the teacher. He signed my slip and found me a uniform but didn't make me dress down for the day, for which I was horribly thankful. I got to spend the class watching the guys and girls play volleyball, feeling panic creep into my gut at the thought of having to be out there tomorrow.

The bell finally rang and I walked off to return my paperwork to the office. The rain had stopped for the moment but the wind was biting cold. As I walked into the warm office, I nearly turned on my heels and walked out.

Isabella Cullen was standing at the desk in front of me. She didn't seem to notice that I was there and I pressed myself against the wall, waiting for her to leave. She was arguing with the lady behind the counter in a clear, beautiful voice. I could just make out what she was saying and felt my face flush despite myself. She was trying to switch her sixth-hour Biology class to anything else.

I shook my head at my own presumption. There was no way that this was about me. Like I said, I'd never even spoken to her before so why would my presence in that class be enough to make her want to switch out? As I pondered this, a girl came in the door, bringing the wind in with her. I blinked through my hair and had to run my hand through it to get it out of my eyes. The girl put a slip of paper in a box on top of the counter and disappeared out the door again. As I smoothed my hair back, I saw Isabella Cullen's hostile eyes trained on my face. Her eyes narrowed to near slits as I looked at her. She turned back to the receptionist with a sharp turn of her head that sent her heavy hair flying.

"Never mind, then," she snapped in that silken voice of hers, "I can see that it is an impossibility at this time. Thank you for your time."

And then she turned on her heels and stormed past me like a graceful tornado. The door slammed behind me, making me jump again as I approached the desk, handing the receptionist my signed slip.

"How did it go, today?" she asked, her face a little flushed.

"Great," I lied.

She eyed me with a small shake of her head. I turned and walked back to my car. The two stunning cars that had been parked next to mine had gone. I had no problem guessing to whom they belonged to now. I sat in my car for a while, trying to reason out the strange reception I had received in Biology. As my head started to pound along with the rain outside, I started my car and made my way back to Elizabeth's, trying very hard to get Isabella Cullen's glaring eyes out of my mind.

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**AN**: And there you have it. The first meeting. Just so you all know in advance, Bella does indeed have the mind reading ability and Edward is a road block. Also, I have made a video of the characters and things. The link is on my profile, just copy and paste it into your browsers.


	4. Bothered

**AN: **Thank you to Judiri, BellaxoxEdward, oneiros lykos, barefootduchess, PinkPalmTree1989, cheesepuff311, Supernaturally Angelic, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Makuri, 4vr17Vi, heya, HorsecrazyJr., cRiMsOnGoDdEsS01 and barefootduchess for all of the reviews, alerts and favorites. Onto the next!

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**3. Bothered:**

My next day at school was a lot better than the first...and a lot worse.

It was better because I actually knew where all of my classes were and what to expect from them. Jessica took up her seat beside me in English and Mike sat beside me in History so that I didn't have to worry about conversing with either him or Jessica for an hour. A small part of me wondered when either of them was going to ask the other out. The larger part of me simply didn't care. And my day was better because Isabella Cullen wasn't in school.

It was worse because I was dog-tired. It had rained even harder last night than it had on the first. I might have gotten about an hour of sleep, tops. It was worse because I was even clumsier in my fatigue. It was horrible because I had to play volleyball in Gym and ended up tripping on my shoelace and taking out two of my teammates as I fell. And it was worse because Isabella Cullen wasn't in school.

At lunch I had walked into the cafeteria with Mike and Jessica with every intention not to glance at the Cullen table. I failed miserably. As soon as I was through the door, my eyes zeroed in on the odd family. When I saw that Isabella wasn't with them, a tension that I hadn't realized was there eased from my shoulders. With that out of the way, I happily joined in with the useless chatter at Mike's table. Mike was talking about going to some local beach soon and I had been invited to come.

"It will be awesome, dude," Mike explained, "There's supposed to be this huge swell coming in with the good weather."

"It's been forever since we hit the waves," Eric joined in, "It's been too cold for surfing."

"Yeah, well, it will still be cold," Mike shrugged.

"But at least we'll have some sun to help keep us warm," Jessica beamed, "And we can bring food for a bonfire!"

"Do you think the native kids will come out?" Lauren asked in her haughty voice, "I swear one of them was eyeing me last time."

I rolled my eyes at her, "Where is this beach?"

"It's down on the Quileute reservation," Angela replied, "In La Push."

"So are you in, Edward?" Mike asked.

"Sure, I'll go," I shrugged, "But there is no way that I'm going surfing."

"Aw, c'mon," Eric chided, "Have you ever been?"

"No," I shook my head, "But it sounds to me like you need amazing coordination for that."

Mike shrugged and I leaned back in my chair. The Cullen table was just in my line of sight and I could clearly see all four of them. They were huddled close together, as if they were discussing something, though their lips never moved. Isabella still hadn't shown. At that moment, one of the girls looked up at me. It was the small one, the spiky one, Alice. She caught me looking and smiled at me before the blond caught her and nudged her in the side, making Alice look back down at the table. Huh. Looks like Blondie didn't like me either.

Walking to Biology that afternoon had been a challenge. I held an internal battle with myself the entire way, thinking about what I'd say to Isabella if she were there. I'd demand to know what her issue with me was and then I'd run away with my tail tucked between my legs in the same thought. There was absolutely no way that I could work up enough of a backbone to even say hello to her, much less confront her. I knew myself better than that. Still, it had been fun to imagine that I had even an ounce of bravery. Excuse me, Mr. Wizard, where do I sign up for some courage?

I exhaled audibly when I arrived to class to find my table empty. I was so happy to see that empty seat that I could have danced, which of course I didn't because that would have resulted in injury, mine and probably several of my classmate's. I sat in my seat and sighed with relief as Mr. Banner continued the lecture from the previous day. I happily took notes without worry of being glared at if I should chance a look out the window.

At the end of the day, and after I had finished my half-hour long mantra of apologies for the volleyball incident, I hurried from the locker room and into my fish-bowl car. I was eager to get home and start on my homework. I had an essay on _Wuthering Heights_ due on Monday that I had to dig out of the farthest reaches of my room. As soon as I got to the house, I was surprised to see an ancient Chevy sitting in the driveway. I parked by the curb and made a hasty retreat for the porch. I let myself into the house with the key under the door mat and hung up my coat in the small closet off the stairs, shaking my hair to free it from the drizzle.

"Edward?" My mother's voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah," I replied, "What's up, Mom?"

"Come on in here, baby, there's someone I want you to meet," she replied.

Feeling curious, I wandered toward the kitchen. Seated at the kitchen table was a girl about fifteen or sixteen with long, waving black hair. Her face was pretty and very angular with skin that was a lovely copper color. Her eyes were a bright, rich brown. Seated beside her in a wheelchair was a heavyset gentleman with a heavily lined face and rich russet skin. His hair was salt and pepper and kept back in a thick braid. They both looked very Native American. Perhaps they were from La Push where the beach that Mike had been talking about was located.

"Edward, this is Billy Black and his daughter Rachel," my mother said, "Billy was the one who sold me your car."

I started forward and took Billy's hand. He had a good grip on him. His black eyes never left my face and the weight of his gaze made me feel slightly uncomfortable. He looked at me as if he could see into the very depths of my soul. I suppressed a shudder as I turned toward his daughter. She smiled brightly at me as she took my hand. Wow, she had a good handshake, too.

"It's nice to meet you," I said.

"How are you liking the car, Edward?" Billy asked me in a deep, gruff voice.

"I love it, actually," I replied, "Thanks."

"No problem," he shook his head, "It used to be my son, Jacob's car, but he bought himself a new one when he went away to collage. And, seeing as how the thing still ran fine, I'd though I'd sell it."

"Well, I'm glad you did," I replied, lacking any other response.

"It was supposed to be my car," Rachel chimed in, her voice was clear and pretty, "But I wanted the Chevy outside more."

"She drove," Billy explained, "She loves that old truck."

"Aren't you a little young to be driving," I asked.

"No," Rachel replied hastily, "I'm fifteen. I'm old enough."

"Alright, sorry," I said, taking a step back, trying to make my escape toward my room.

"Where are you going?" My mother asked.

"Um, homework," I replied, "Anyway, it was nice to meet you two and thanks for the car!"

With that, I bolted for my room. I launched myself at my bed and began pulling out clear plastic containers full of old notebooks and binders. I shifted through some of my old poems and musical compositions, picking up one of my favorite tunes. It was Claire de Lune by Debussy, something I had learned in my sophomore year of high school. My father had bought the sheet music for me on my sixteenth birthday. I set the sheet music aside and continued to dig through my old papers, looking for the essay I needed.

"Holy crow, you have a lot of music," called a female voice from the door.

I looked up to see Rachel standing in the hallway, her eyes roaming over my CD collection. I turned bright red when I realized that my room was a mess and instantly grabbed up some dirty clothes that I had lying around, stuffing them under the bed, hastily.

"What are you doing up here?" I gaped at her.

"Oh, your mom said it was okay," Rachel replied, leaning through the door to take in more of the room, "What are you, a nerd or something?"

I glanced at the rows of books that she was looking at, "I like to read, is that a problem?"

"No," she smiled, "So can I come in or what?"

"You might as well," I replied, feeling less than accommodating.

She skipped merrily into my room and right over to my vast music collection. I let her look around, satisfied that none of my clothes were on display and went back to sifting through my papers.

"You like Muse?" she exclaimed.

"Obviously," I offered, not looking up from my task.

Jeez, did I have a void in this container or what? Where was that paper? I felt pressure on my bed and looked up to see Rachel holding one of my notebooks of poems. I snatched it from her hand and dropped it back on the bed. My action hadn't fazed her in the slightest. She reached for the Debussy piece and examined it.

"You play music?" she asked, handing the sheet music back to me when I held my hand open for it.

"Yes," I said, setting the sheet music on my bedside table so I wouldn't lose it in the melee, "Or at least I used to."

"What instrument do you play?" she continued.

"Um, piano and guitar," I answered.

"I wish I could play something," she said gently, "What are you looking for anyway?"

"An old essay," I said, leaning over the side of my bed to pull out another container.

"What for?" she asked, peering over my shoulder.

"I need it," I said, "What's with the twenty questions, kid?"

She shrugged, "I dunno, I'm bored and you seem like you need someone to talk to."

"Well, I really don't, but thanks anyway," I replied.

"You're kind of a jerk, did you know that?" she snapped, getting off my bed and walking toward the door.

I watched her go and mentally smacked myself. She was right. I was being a jerk. With a sigh, I dragged myself off my bed and stumbled after her. I managed to catch up to her before she made it into the kitchen.

"Hey, Rachel," I said, "I'm really sorry."

She stood on the gray throw rug with her arms crossed and her pretty face set into hard lines. I ran my hand through my hair and shifted uncomfortably on my feet. This was exactly why I didn't talk to girls. I always ended up saying something stupid.

"I was being a jerk," I repeated her phrase back to her, "But I really am sorry. Will you forgive me?"

I offered her what I hoped was a charming smile. She eyed me for a long moment before she dropped her arms.

"I guess I can," she replied, raising her head in a superior way, "But only if you play something for me."

"Like what, Muse?" I asked.

"No," she shook her head, sending her black hair over her shoulders, "I mean something you wrote."

"Um," I mumbled, "I haven't played in a while."

Four months, to be exact. When my father fell ill, I lost the will to play, except when he asked me to. I'd never refuse to play Claire de Lune for him when he asked me. It had been his favorite piece, after all.

"I'm sure you'll remember something," Rachel pressed. She was a stubborn thing.

"I guess I can try and play my guitar," I shrugged. I needed more practice at that, anyway.

"Sweet," Rachel punched the air and tore back up the stairs.

As I followed her, I racked my brain for anything that I might remember on guitar. I could only think of one song that I knew from memory. I wandered into my room and headed for my closet. I found my guitar case and gently pulled the acoustic guitar out, testing the strings for tune. I winced at how awful it sounded. Shows how long it's been since I played. I sat on my bed and tuned the guitar, turning the pegs gently. I played a few experimental chords and pronounced the guitar tuned.

"I only know one song from memory," I informed Rachel, who was bouncing on the edge of my bed with excitement, "I'm not entirely sure that it's appropriate, either."

"Please," Rachel rolled her eyes, "I listen to Marilyn Manson."

"Alright then," I shook my head with a slight smile, "A little Radiohead should be no problem."

And with that, I set off into the acoustic version of Creep. I really should have warmed up before I sang, though. I was so out of practice with everything. Rachel didn't seem to mind my raspy interpretation. She watched with a huge smile on her face as I strummed out the notes. As I played, Isabella Cullen's face flashed behind my closed eyes. Her pale white skin and onyx eyes, the lovely mahogany spill of her hair filled the void behind my eyes. I hit a sour note as I thought about the death glare she had given me and opened my eyes at once. Rachel was frowning up at me and I shook my head to try and dislodge the image that had made me mess up.

"Are you okay," Rachel asked, "You went all pale."

"I'm fine," I answered, "Sorry."

"It's okay," Rachel said, though she was still looking at me as if she were afraid I'd puke.

"Rach," called the deep voice of Billy from downstairs, "C'mon, kid, lets get home."

"'Kay," she called back.

She stood up and gave me another worried glance, "Um, thanks for playing for me. You're amazing."

"Thanks," I smiled, "It was nice to meet you, really. I'm sorry for being a jerk earlier."

"It's okay," she beamed, "We should hang out again sometime."

"Sure," I smiled back.

"Rach!" Billy called again.

"Bye," she waved and then she disappeared down the stairs.

I sat on the edge of my bed with my guitar still in hand and tried to explain to myself why Isabella had popped up in my head. I found no reasonable explanation and put my guitar away. I cleaned up the mess of papers on my bed and began my search for my essay again until dinner. Elizabeth and I ate in silence for a moment.

"How did you like Rachel?" she asked around a forkful of salad.

I shrugged, "She's cool."

"I heard you playing guitar," Mom smiled, "You're pretty good."

"Thanks," I said, chasing a cherry tomato around my plate with my fork, "I'm better at piano, though."

We lapsed into another silence as I continued to play with my food. For some reason, I wasn't very hungry. Maybe it was because I was being glared at every time I closed my eyes. I'm sure that had nothing to do with it at all. Elizabeth leaned against the table with her chin on her hand, staring at me. I fought not to squirm under the weight of her gaze.

"Edward, is something bothering you," she asked.

"No," I lied.

She quirked her eyebrow at me and I caved.

"It's just this...er, girl at school," Crap. I knew which direction this was about to take as soon as the words left my mouth.

"Oh," my mother's face brightened as she sat up in her chair, "Do you like a girl at school, hun? Tell me about her! What's her name?"

"I don't like her, Mom," I ammended but I could see that the damage had already been done so I pressed on, "Uh, her name is Isabella Cullen. Do you know anything about her?"

"Bella?" my mother's smile widened, as if it were possible, "Dr. Cullen's daughter?"

"I think so," I nodded, "She sits with four other kids. They're all pretty pale...and good looking?"

"Yep, that's them," my mother nodded, "You should see the doctor! Too bad he's happily married or I'd..."

"Mom!" I interrupted loudly.

"Right, sorry," she replied but she still had a distant look in her eyes, "Bella is a sweet girl. She comes into my shop quite a bit. She's something of a budding artist and boy, can that girl paint!"

So my mom knew her. Weird. I stared at my baked potato in silence.

"Actually," my mother pressed, "I think you two would get along really well."

I winced as Isabella's glaring eyes flashed through my head.

"Anyway, they're a good group of kids," she continued, "They never get into a speck of trouble and they keep to themselves, which is a shame. I'm sure they'd make a lot of friends if they just opened up a little more. Of course, I suppose it's hard when you move to a new town every couple of years. We're lucky that Dr. Cullen's wife likes it here and that she wanted to stay until the kids finish school."

"Oh," I said, forcing myself to take a bite of steak.

"Why?" Mom asked, that sly smile on her face.

"I was just curious," I shrugged, "Isabella is my lab partner at school."

"You should talk to her, Edward," she insisted, "I mean it. You're such a withdrawn boy...it worries me, a little."

So that's why Rachel had been sent up to my room. The plot thickens.

"I choose to be this way, Mom," I said, "There's no need for concern, I promise."

"Still, you should talk to her," she repeated, "You'd do each other good."

I rolled my eyes and forced another forkful of food down my throat.

That night, I managed to get to sleep quickly through a break in the rain. The rest of my week flew by, too and Isabella still didn't show up at school. Maybe she dropped out to pursue a career in modeling or something like that. Lord knows that she could have done it easily. It wasn't until Monday that my happy little reality shattered.

It had begun like any other day. I showed up at school and greeted the students I knew. Jessica sat beside me in English and tired to copy my answers on the _Wuthering Heights_ quiz we had. Mike and Jess talked each other to death in History and I could almost swear I saw them holding hands at one point. It had begun to snow while we were in class and I made a face as we walked outside. Mike was immediately hit in the face by a snowball and I ducked for cover. We never had much snow in Scottsdale and whenever we did, it had always been a light dusting that melted fairly quickly, but still, I didn't care for it much.

I managed to make it into the cafeteria without getting hit by the flying mush balls once. Score for me...and then immediately lose that point. There, sitting at the usual table sat Isabella Cullen. She was laughing with her family, brushing snow from her shoulder while Emmett tossed a fresh snowball at his brother. Jasper shook his head at Alice who was leaning away from him with a disgusted look on her face.

Mike and Jessica appeared at my side then, laughing hysterically. I lowered my gaze to the floor and followed them to the line. I picked up a bottle of orange juice and wandered over to our table, keeping my eyes fixed on my destination. I sat with my back facing the Cullens so that I wouldn't accidentally look at them. Crap. What was I going to do in Biology? I sipped at my orange juice until the bell rang and then I trudged out of the cafeteria with all of the poise of a man faced with the electric chair. This was absurd. I shouldn't be afraid to go to class.

As I made my way toward the Biology room, my palms started to sweat. Stupid, calm down. She was only a girl for crying out loud. An amazingly beautiful, possibly homocidal girl, but still. As I walked into the room, I sighed with relief to find my table empty yet again. Hazaa, I was in the clear!

I sat at the table while Mr. Banner passed out microscopes and a box of slides. I pulled out my notebook and began to doodle on the blank page, and broke the lead of my pencil when I heard the chair next to me scrape against the floor. I didn't look up from the page, though, determined to keep drawing.

"Hello," called a sweet, gentle voice.

I looked up, startled, to see Isabella Cullen looking at me. I looked behind me, thinking that maybe she were talking to someone else. There was no one else there save the lab partners at the next desk who were more interested in making out than the slides on their desk. I turned back to face the girl beside me, swallowing hard. I immediately noticed that there was something different about her. Her pale complexion was slightly flushed and the bruise-like color under her eyes had gone. And her eyes, they were a soft gold. But I was sure they had been black as night before...Hadn't they? She must have gotten contacts or something.

"You're Edward Masen, correct," she inquired in her lilting voice.

I gaped at her with a nod, "Isabella Cullen?"

"Bella, actually," she replied with a soft smile, "I do hope you'll forgive my rash behavior last week, I wasn't feeling myself."

"How did you know my name?" I asked, feeling like a complete moron.

She offered me that winning smile again, "I know your mother. I come into her shop a lot and we get to talking. She was very excited about your arrival here."

"Oh," I said.

Mr. Banner saved me from any further reply by giving us the instructions for our lab. Fortunately, I had already done the exact same lab back in Arizona so it would be a breeze for me to do today. He finished explaining and commanded us to start working.

"Would you like to begin?" Bella asked me.

"Ladies first," I replied, trying my best to smile without looking like an idiot.

She smiled at me again as she reached for the microscope and quickly and efficiently adjusted it to the 40X objective. She pulled the first slide from the box and examined it for a mere second.

"Prophase," she announced, picking up her pencil and writing it into the worksheet in neat, elegant handwriting.

"Er, can I have a peek?" I asked.

"Of course," she smiled again, "How rude of me, here."

She slid the microscope over to me and I reached for it. My hand brushed against hers and I jerked it back with a sharp intake of breath. Her hands were like ice but that's not what made me draw back. When our skin had touched, it felt like I had been shocked. She pulled her hand away and hid it under the table.

"Sorry," she replied softly.

"No problem," I replied, peering into the lens of the microscope. She had been right.

As soon as I had taken my turn, she switched the slide on me. I looked at her and she quirked her perfect eyebrow at me, silently gesturing for me to look. I pressed my eye to the lens and looked.

"Anaphase," I pronounced.

She kept her hands under the table so I pushed the microscope her way. She glanced at if for a fraction of a second before her perfect lips quirked up in the corners and she wrote the answer in the correct space. The rest of the lab progressed much the same way with each of us taking a turn but she never brought her hands from their clasped position under the table. We were done in no time. Mr. Banner walked by with a frown when he saw that we weren't working anymore.

"Isabella, did you even allow Mr. Masen to have a turn?" he inquired of her.

She smiled pleasantly at him, "Actually, sir, he identified most of them."

Mr. Banner looked at me then and I squirmed in my seat.

"I already did this lab before," I fessed up.

"Ah," Mr. Banner nodded, as if that explained everything. It kind of made me mad, "Well, just...read the next chapter of your text books or something."

And then he wandered off muttering something about being glad that we were lab partners and advanced placement programs. Bella had already taken out her text book and opened it to the next chapter, but she wasn't reading it. Instead, she was staring at me. I could feel her gaze like a physical weight. I tried not to look at her and failed. She had a perplexed and slightly annoyed look on her face as she stared at me. Now I was sure of it. Her eyes were a different color.

"Do you wear contacts?" I blurted out without thinking.

Her face fell for an instant and then she blinked at me, "No, why do you ask?"

"Your eyes are a different color," I replied.

She smiled then and I swallowed hard, "You pay attention to the color of my eyes?"

"Uh, obviously not very well," I offered, feeling heat in my cheeks.

She laughed then and it was a musical sound, like wind chimes in an autumn breeze.

"It must be the fluorescent lighting or something," she replied.

"Must be," I agreed quietly.

A silence stretched between us and I tried to stop staring at her. She, on the other hand, made no such effort. She continued to gaze at me as if she were trying very hard to X-Ray my brain. I think I was starting to feel it smoke from the force of her scrutiny. I gave up in my futile efforts not to look at her and raked my brain for any topic of conversation.

"So, my mom said you were a painter," I offered.

"I am," she nodded, her mouth smiled but her eyes stayed the same shade of frustrated, "And I hear that you are quite musically inclined."

I went red in the face again. Damn my mother and her bragging to complete strangers! Bella swallowed hard and looked away from me for a moment as she closed her eyes. I frowned at her. I hope she wasn't about to throw up or anything. She opened her eyes again and looked at me once more.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Of course," she replied.

Another long, uncomfortable pause filled by her unrelenting attempt to bore a hole through my head with her eyes.

"Why did you come to Forks, Edward?" she asked with a near forceful determination.

I felt my jaw unhinge slightly at the blunt question. Surely my mother must have mentioned _why_ I was coming to live with her. I'm sure she had to have done. How else would the receptionist have known? Bella stared at me with a face that demanded an answer but then she looked away again, frowning.

"Forgive me," she shook her head, not meeting my eyes for once, "I had no right to ask you that."

What I wanted to say was that she was right, that she didn't have the right to ask such a personal question of someone whom she had been very rude to on the first day she met them, but what came out was...

..."My father died."

Her head snapped up and her honey eyes went wide, "I'm so sor..."

"Don't," I stopped her, "Don't apologize. I hate it when people do that."

She nodded. Her face had softened, lost its demanding edge, even her eyes seemed less intent. She didn't speak to me again that period and she even stopped staring but I found myself wanting to talk to her, wanting to tell her how much I hated it here and how I wished that I didn't have to stay but I kept my mouth shut and just sat at the table, staring at the faux marble table top until the bell rang and, just like last Monday, Bella flew out of the room before anyone else had time to breathe.

I stared after her at an utter loss. What the hell was wrong with that chick? Was she bipolar or something? Her mood swings were amazing. Surely she couldn't _still _be on the rag. Mike collected me for Gym and I followed him wordlessly. During Gym, I was only there in body, mentally I was still in Biology, trying to figure out what had just happened. It was a good thing that my team had decided to make me stand in the corner of the court after last weeks disastrous game so my lack of mental presence wasn't noticed.

As I walked out to the parking lot, I caught a glimpse of Bella standing by her blue-green Aston Martin. She stared at me as I dropped the key to my car in a puddle. I refused to look in her direction until I was safely inside my car with the blush of embarrassment fading. She was shaking her head and laughing as the tiny pixie girl was sliding into the passenger seat of Bella's car. I stayed in my car until I saw the Cullens drive away and only when I was sure that they were gone did I start the engine and head for home.

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**AN:** Sorry about that guys! At least this one is really long. How did you like Rachel? And what about Bella?


	5. Phenomenon

**AN:** Thank you to pebbles606, Supernaturally Angelic, Rachel Sparrow, bethy23, dragonlady123, berryfrost, Twi Chick Angelicia, oneiros lykos, Kithic, moonfairie, edwardismyvampiresweetheart, HorsecrazyJr., 4vr17Vi, Carlalalita, Edwella4eva, dragonlady123, barefootduchess and LSinclair for the reviews, alerts and favorites. Now for the pivitol saving scene!

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**4. Phenomenon:**

I woke up to find something disheartening. Snow. Yes, overnight, the air had become so cold that it had frozen all of the moisture. There were even tiny ice crystals hanging from the leaves of the tree outside of my window. I stared in horror at the frozen layer of ice that coated the driveway. I should go back to bed while the getting was good. No doubt there would be epic snowball battles at school and I so did not want to play.

I cursed my need to be a good student and trudged over to my closet to dress for school, making sure that I was prepared for the biting cold. I swallowed a bowl of cereal and some apple juice and then walked outside. I walked down the two stairs that connected the porch to the sidewalk and magically ended up flat on my butt. I groaned in pain as I tried to pick myself off the ground, slipping and sliding like a doofus.

"Edward," my mother appeared at my side from the garage, "Honey, are you okay?"

I was finally back on my feet, "Yeah, I'm okay. Ice doesn't help the uncoordinated."

"I can see that," she said, "I put snow chains on your car so you shouldn't have to worry about the drive."

"Thanks, Mom," I replied, noting the silver mesh on my back tires.

"Don't mention it, sweetie," she smiled, "Have a good day."

"Sure," I nodded, opening my door.

"And Edward," she called, "Try to be careful, okay?"

"I always try, Mom," I said, shutting my door and pulling out of the driveway.

Even with the snow chains, I still took my sweet time driving to school. With my luck, I'd end up carving a path of destruction through town if I drove faster than fifteen miles per hour. Needless to say that some of the other drivers on the road weren't all too happy with me, but I didn't care. I was doing them a service.

I pulled into the school lot and parked my car across the lot from the Cullens shiny vehicles. Bella was standing by her car, chatting with her sister as I got out. Of course, I had parked on a patch of ice and had to catch my balance using the side mirror. I edged my way carefully along the ground, keeping one hand on a solid object until I found a rougher, drier patch of pavement to walk on. Woo, today was going to suck. I could tell.

I continued to walk toward the school building, keeping my eyes on the ground, looking for any more troublesome ice slicks. A melodious laugh caught my attention and I looked up to see Bella shaking with laughter at something Emmett had said before her mirth cut off abruptly. Little Alice had gone very still save for her mouth which moved as if she were singing. Bella looked up in my direction, her eyes wide with horror when, at that exact moment, I heard an alarming sound. It was the high pitched squeal of brakes and locking tires.

I looked to my right in time to see a huge blue van careening toward me at an alarming rate. I was transfixed in terror as the van skidded toward me, unable to move to try to get away. It would have been a useless effort anyway. There was no time. I cringed as I tensed for the impact of the vehicle, hoping that it would be a quick death when something entirely different slammed into me from the left.

I was thrown to the ground, my head smacking against the pavement as something solid and freezing held me down. The thunderous crash of metal against metal assaulted my ears as the van smashed into the two cars that I had been thrown between. But it didn't end. The van was still coming bringing the other two vehicles with it. I was still going to be crushed, not by one car, but three.

A low snarl made me aware that someone else was with me, her velvet voice strangely clear against all of the crunching, shattering sounds of the continuing crash. A black shadow blocked my vision but I could make out the silhouette of my saviour throw their arms out wide as the two cars on either side of us crashed against lily white hands. The body above me shuddered as the van came to a tilting stop curving around her body like a glove.

Her body moved so quickly that it blurred as she threw herself on top of me just as glass and shards of shrapnel rained down from the vehicles. Finally, a silence fell over the world so loud that it made my ears buzz with it. It took me longer than it should have to realize that the sound I heard wasn't the rush of blood in my ears but the commotion the accident had caused. People were screaming and rushing toward us in a burst of running feet. I could make out my name being shouted but much more clearly, I could here Bella Cullen's frantic singing in my ear.

"Edward? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"I'm fine," I replied, my voice coming from a long way off.

I tried to get up but she was holding me against her body in a steal grip.

"Don't move," she warned, "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

As soon as she said it, I could feel the back of my head throb in protest.

"Ow," I said, shocked. I didn't remember hitting my head.

"I told you," she smiled softly, her caramel eyes inches away from me.

"How did you..." I began, gazing around me, taking in my bearings, "How did you get over to me so fast?"

"I was standing right next to you," she replied, her tone very serious.

"No," I replied, "You were standing by your car, across the lot."

"No, I wasn't," she replied, her voice held an edge to it.

I tried to sit up again and this time she allowed me to do it, moving as far away from me as the tiny pocket of space between the cars would allow. I gaped at her perfect, worried face and frowned. Her eyes blazed with some emotion I couldn't read and the force behind them made me slightly dizzy...or maybe it was the head injury. What had I just been saying?

The frantic mob found us then. They swarmed over the ruined cars and tried to assess the damage.

"Bella, Edward, we have 911 on the phone," called Mr. Banner, "Just stay there and don't move. We'll get you out."

People were jostling one another in their attempt to find us, to see if we were safe or streaks of blood on the pavement. Someone was getting Tyler Crowley out of the van. While people milled around us, Bella gazed at me with a fierce determination. I tried to move but she held me back with a hand on my shoulder. Man, but she was strong!

"Don't move," she demanded.

"But it's cold," I complained.

She chuckled but kept her hold on my body.

"You were over there," I said again, "I know you were."

"I think you're confused," she replied with a sigh, "You really did smack that head of yours."

"I saw you," I asserted.

I could hear the blare of sirens now. The ambulances had arrived. Fantastic. With the aid of six EMTs and three teachers, the van was removed from the scene, allowing a spill of medical professionals to ride in with their stretchers. Bella refused hers but told the EMTs that I probably had a concussion. I felt my face go red with humiliation as they loaded me onto the stretcher, neck brace and all. From my position, I could see that the entire school was outside to watch the show as they loaded me into the ambulance. Bella got to ride in front, the traitoress.

As they were closing the door on me, I considered the jumbled of recent events in my mind. When they had lifted me away from the scene, I had seen the deep dents in the side of the van and the other cars. The dent in the van had been a near perfect mold of Bella's upper body and the dents in the sides of the other two cars looked a whole lot like her delicate hands.

And then there was her family, watching from a distance with mingled expressions of disapproval all the way to fury on their attractive faces. None of them, however, seemed to be too concerned for their sister who had just as much of a chance at becoming a human pancake as I had.

I tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for what had just happened the entire way to the hospital and as they wheeled me into the emergency room, I admitted to myself that I had none. As I lay on the bed, I took off the stupid neck brace and sat up, ignoring the throbbing in my head as I sat on the edge of the bed. Bella wasn't anywhere to be found, but Tyler was wheeled in seconds later.

He was more worse for wear than I was. They had covered the bleeding wounds on his forehead and face with gauze but he was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Edward, man, I'm so sorry," he exploded, "I tried to stop!"

"I'm fine, Tyler," I shrugged, "You look like you got the worse end of it, though."

A nurse had begun to removed the bandages from his head exposing a myriad of shallow cuts and a nasty bruise that was forming in a semi-circle on his forehead where it must have connected with the steering wheel.

"I thought I was going to kill you," he continued, "I was going way too fast...and all of the ice! Dude, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry," I tried again, "I'm fine, really."

At that moment, the double doors burst open and a tall, blond and young doctor strode toward me. He was pale and looked incredibly tired, with circles under his golden eyes. He took my chart and looked it over, peering at me over the top of the clip board. He had to be Bella's father. The double doors banged open again and this time my mother rushed toward me, tears streaming from her eyes as she collapsed onto my bed, pulling me into her arms.

"My God, Edward!" she cried, "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, Mom," I mumbled, trying to extricate myself from her arms, "Really. I'm okay."

"Will he be okay, Dr. Cullen?" my mother asked, turning toward the handsome doctor.

"Well, Edward, it looks like you took quite a spill," Dr. Cullen smiled at me, ignoring my mother as he held up his finger in front of my face, "Look here, please."

I looked at his finger and followed it as he moved it while he shined a flashlight in my eyes.

"You might experience some post-traumatic stress or disorientation," he explained, "But your vitals look good and there are no signs of any head trauma. I think you'll be just fine."

"Oh thank God," my mother sighed.

"You know, it would have been a whole lot worse if Bella wasn't there," I blurted out, "She knocked me out of the way."

"Bella?" My mother asked.

"Yeah, it was amazing," I continued, feeling the words flow out of my mouth of their own accord, like word vomit, "She got to me so fast. She was no where near me."

"It sounds like you were very lucky," Dr. Cullen replied, smiling at me again, but it was tight around the edges, "Go home, get some rest."

"Can't I just go back to school?" I asked.

"I wouldn't advice it," Dr. Cullen shook his head, "Besides, most of the school appears to be in the waiting room."

"Fantastic," I mumbled.

Dr. Cullen smirked again and nodded at my mother, "He'll be fine, Mrs. Masen. If you'll excuse me?"

And with that, he turned toward Tyler, examining his much more pressing wounds. I slid off the bed and followed my mother out of the wing. As we passed a corridor I caught sight of Bella and her blond sister arguing down the hall. I stopped in my tracks and my mother looked at me.

"Go on to the car," I said, "I'll meet you there in a sec."

She glanced down the hall, saw Bella and nodded with a smile. I watched her disappear out the door before I started toward the girls at the end of the corridor. I could just hear their words as I walked toward them. Both were too engaged in the conversation to notice me yet.

"...What was I supposed to do, Rosalie," Bella whispered, "Let him die?"

"This isn't just about you," Rosalie replied angrily, "Think about the rest of us."

Both of their heads snapped in my direction at the exact same time and I froze under the weight of their ocher eyes. Rosalie's were narrowed in extreme dislike while Bella's looked on with cool indifference. I cleared my throat before I looked at Bella.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked.

"Sure," she replied.

"We'll finish this at home," Rosalie hissed as she brushed past us and out the door.

Bella watched her go and sighed before she turned her attention back on me, "What?"

"I think you owe me an explanation," I said.

"I don't owe you anything," she replied, her voice stiff.

"Please," I replied, "I just need to know how you did it."

"I didn't do anything," she snapped.

"I saw it," I shot back, my own temper flaring.

"And what exactly do you _think_ you saw," she asked, with a quirked eyebrow.

"You stopped the cars from crushing me," I replied, "You pushed them away with your hands...and your body."

"Well, nobody will believe you, so...."

"I wasn't going to tell anyone," I pressed, "I just need to know the truth...for myself."

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?" She hissed.

"Thank you," I said, staring down at her.

Her eyes narrowed a touch, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No," I said firmly. There was no way that I could.

"Well, I hope you enjoy disappointment," she said, wheeling on her heels and stalking toward the exit.

"Why did you even bother," I snapped after her, "You should have just let the cars crush me...save yourself all of this regret."

She stopped in mid stride and turned back to face me, eyes blazing with fire, "You think that I regret saving you?"

"I can see that you do," I replied, slightly staggered by the look in her eyes.

"You don't know anything," she spat and continued her departure out of the hospital.

I stood in the hallway and stared at her retreating back through the glass doors and knew that I was in deep now. Whatever curiosity that I had harbored toward the strange and beautiful girl had now intensified ten fold. I was completely consumed by the mystery that was Isabella Cullen and more than a little obsessed if I was being honest with myself. As I walked to meet my mother, I found that Forks was turning out to be a more eventful place than I thought it would and that I was no longer all that eager to escape it now. How terribly stupid of me.

I decided to call it a night earlier than usual, a decision made even easier by my mother's constant vigil over me. She was concerned that I might have a concussion that Dr. Cullen missed. After assuring her that I was fine for the thousandth time, I gave up and told her I was tired. She had let me go, frowning. I dug out some Tylenol for my head, which still throbbed a little ever now and then and settled in for sleep.

That was the first night that I dreamed of Isabella Cullen.

* * *

**AN: **And there you have it. A nice blend of original text from the book and dialogue from the movie for you. And, just because dear human Edward is so adorkably clumsy and accident prone, he had three cars threatening his life instead of one. Hope you liked it.


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